St Brutus' Young Offenders Unit
by kidficfan
Summary: Someone has been in a bit of trouble and Severus has been sent on a mission by Dumbledore to reform them in time to start Hogwarts.
1. Chapter 1

Severus Snape had done a lot of interesting jobs in his life but this was going to be the most interesting job he'd ever done. It seemed that one of next year's Hogwarts intakes had landed themselves in a bit of trouble and he was being sent to investigate. Severus was undercover as a muggle wearing black jeans, a dark grey buttoned shirt and black boots, he looked rather attractive, especially with his new trimmed locks which Albus had insusted upon.

Severus strode through the doors to St Brutus' Young Offenders Detention Centre in Surrey and was greeted by the man on the desk; his name tag read 'Bill Whitely.'

"Severus Snape, I'm here for my first day." Severus spoke clearly towards the man tapping his fingers on the computer keyboard in front of him.

"Hi Mr Snape, I was told you'd be here at nine, it's only eight you're a little early but that's fine. If you come with me we'll get you started on the G wing. It's where we keep most of the girls and vulnerable boys, figured it might be best for you to get started there whilst you find your feet." The man told him as he walked out of the office door and through the hallway to stand next to Severus.

"That's fine Mr Whitely, so what will I be doing here? The agency was vague and my job roles have differed from centre to centre." Severus lied easily using the cover story Dumbledore had created for him.

"Call me Bill. I must say Mr Snape that your papers are very impressive, you seem to have a good record. Here at St Brutus' we deal with young offenders from 7 to 16 although mainly the older age groups. We have a policy though where we use first names only so are you OK with Severus or have you another name the kids can call you?" Bill enquired.

"Severus will be fine" Snape said reluctantly.

"Ok Severus, so on this wing you will mainly just be supervising the offenders, making sure they don't get into any scraps and the like. We have a new kid coming in who needs some very careful supervision and handling, you'll mainly be working with him today, prepping his room, helping him settle in and learning about how this place works. Usually wake up is 7:30am, breakfast at 8am, classes start at 9am, lunch at 12, classes until 3pm, free time till 6pm, dinner at 6pm then evening activities till lights out time. You'll probably be on call during class times but usually its just a break in the day. If we turn left here." Bill was on a roll it seemed and had given this introduction to the centre enough times to be bored of it.

"So how old is this new kid?" Severus asked.

"Our youngest ever guest, it's his third stay, repeat offender, pretty sad case, he's a great kid. First came to us age 7, thought that had turned him around but he showed up again aged 9 and now he's 10 he's on his longest stint with us 6 months. So if all goes to plan he will be out two days before he turns 11. He'll be in the girl's wing. G wing usually only houses girls but our youngest guest is especially vulnerable even though when you meet him you'll never believe it. Parents were murdered when he was only a year old, they reckon it was a drugs gang, he was left with relatives but they didn't want him, he was neglected and abused till social services picked it up at 6 years old, poor kid had been locked in a cupboard, hadn't progressed since he had been placed with them. He could speak but his growth was stunted through malnutrition, wasn't toilet trained and wasn't socialised so was sent to live with foster carers. Best thing that ever happened to him in his life." Bill seemed to have slowed so Severus felt the need to ask a pressing question.

"If his foster parents are so great how has he ended up here so many times?" Severus asked confused.

Bill sighed. "Well he was placed with his foster carers for a year, they worked miracles, they really did, he progressed quickly with them but unfortunately the state determined that he should not be around younger children especially infants as he may cause them harm so when his foster mother got pregnant he got moved on to a string of other carers. None of them really understood him, like his first foster carers did and subsequently he turned aggressive and unruly." Bill unlocked an empty room and held open the door for Severus.

"This will be his room, housekeeping have been in but we'll need to check it, he should have all those things listed in his file, plastic sheets, extra bedding hidden in closet, reading books, disposable underwear, soft toy, radio and plenty of pens and paper in draws. Once all those things are checked and room is also safety checked we can go and greet him, he'll be here in an hour so if we meet with his keyworker she will fill you in with any extra details you'll need to know. The other girls on this wing are all, fighters, thieves and gang members; they shouldn't give you much trouble apart from the odd fight here and there." Bill dropped him off at an office with a cheery goodbye and went back to his desk duties.

The keyworker was a lovely lady, young, maybe in her mid 20's, her name was Andi and she had been the boys keyworker since he was 7 apparently. Her hair was shirt and spiked up with bright pink and blue highlights, she wore blue jeans and a grey hooded sweatshirt but still managed to look vebeautiful. She had many tales she would start but never finished, often digressing about another story or a joke. Severus sat patiently listening to the woman talk until a knock sounded at the door. Andi shouted a welcome and in walked Bill with a young boy who looked about 8 years old. He gave a wary look Severus' way but smiled when he saw Andi giving a wave and a smile her way.

"Come over at meet our new recruit" Andi waved him over to sit on the sofa next to her.

"Hello, my name is Severus, nice to meet you!" Severus introduced himself.

"'M Harry" the boy mumbled.


	2. Chapter 2

It was a week before Harry really settled in and started to become a handful, the boy was a bundle of energy running everywhere with a cheeky girl who must have been about 15, often throwing things and refusing to do things which were asked of him, Severus was getting thoroughly annoyed at being spoken to in such a rude way but Andi was surprisingly happy and passive about it. The rest of the girls were fine often joking with Severus' sarcastic side and they had all adopted Harry as a surrogate little brother playing childish games with him, chasing him and teasing him like siblings.

"The boy is getting away with too much, you are all mollycoddling him!" Severus had shouted at the team meeting a week after Harry had arrived. The units reward system meant Harry was being rewarded for his behaviour with an extra allocated session on the astro turf pitches. Andi was not happy with Severus at all and had made it very clear what she had thought of him.

"You seriously think that shouting and punishing the boy will HELP him? You have spent a week with Harry and through that time all you have done is knock him down. Let me tell you something Severus Snape, Harry showing defiance after all he has been through is healthy, he is going through the terrible two's, he is testing us to see if when he acts out we will still care for him or lock him away forever. So yeah, we cut him a little extra slack but spend a little time with him and you will realise why he can be so frustrating to deal with. Be a human Severus, try and see him from his perspective, you might just learn a thing or two about humanity." Andi said before taking a couple of deep breaths and leaving the room.

Severus was left staring after her, Bill turned to face him.

"Severus, I'm moving you from main patrol guarding to be one-to-one with Harry, his teachers could use your assistance in his classes when he gets to be a handful and I'm sure that he could use a positive male role model in his life. Take the afternoon off and you can take up the post tomorrow." Bill concluded with a sigh before getting up and heading to the door, as his had reached the handle he turned to Severus.

"Please try not to mess up, just try and think on what Andi said OK, this job comes with high stakes, one wrong move could leave him in a bad way." With that Bill pushed down the doorhandle and left the room, leaving Severus to his thoughts.

Severus sat in the staffroom facing out towards the yard where the G wingers were hanging out. He sat to observe Harry, he was playing football with one of the guards. He was smiling and would occasionally kick the ball at the fence before shooting at the guard. Severus looked at him, he was a typical ten year old, just shorter, what was everyone talking about. Severus went to leave the room until he saw something out of the window again. Harry had stopped playing and was now sat on the floor with his hands in his pants. Apparently the guard had been called away for a fight between two of the girls and Harry was sitting on the floor clearly clutching habbit if you asked him, then he remembered seeing Harry doing this before and thought back, it always happened when he was anxious about something, at first he had thought he was just exploring himself being on the edge of puberty but Severus remembered what Andi had said about thinking from Harry's point of view and remembered something he had read about self-comfort in abused children, this along with the bedwetting was a clear sign that Harry was far from just an unruly child, Andi had been right. Harry was a child in need, a child who had grown up in ways which would be unimaginable to others.

Severus eventually tore his eyes away from the lost little boy out of the window to the empty staff room around him. He would think more tomorrow but for now he was done thinking about his latest mission from Dumbledore and switched the telly on to lose himself in the other coming and goings in the world.

As Severus was leaving the centre two hours later a voice shouted his name. He turned and was surprised to find Harry walking behind him, holding onto Andi's hand who for Harry's sake was also smiling at him.

"Hey Sev, Andi told me your gonna be my new student, she said that cos your struggling to fit in and make friends and cos that's something I'm good at that I was gonna mentor you, show you the ropes and maybe even make friends...Maybe if you smile and try not to be so mean every once in a while people will be more likely to not call you names. Don't worry I'll introduce you to my class tomorrow but you gotta make sure you bring a pencil, a ruler and a pad of paper otherwise you'll get yelled at." Harry jabbered excitedly before looking expectantly at Severus and grabbing himself through his trousers which Severus now knew was anxiousness.

"That seems like a good idea, who knows I might even manage to get through the day without getting yelled at with your help and I might make some friends " Severus said half to Harry and half to Andi who gave a small smile of forgiveness.

"Cool!" Harry exclaimed "See ya tomorrow Sev" Harry gave a wave and turned yanking Andi's hand to walk towards his room.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning began with Severus walking into Harry's room with Andi to get Harry up. Harry had obviously had an accident in the night and his soiled sheets and pyjamas were lying on the floor in a laundry bag ready to be taken away. He woke up to the door opening and turned bleary eyes towards the pair before smashing his face into the pillow. Andi walked over to sit on the edge of his bed chuckling.

"Morning to you to Harry!" she chirped despite the early morning. A groaned was all she received in response. She gave Severus a wary glance before whispering to the boy.

"Are you wet again?" she whispered. Harry turned his head towards Severus who had enough tact to look as though he wasn't paying them any attention instead pretending to view the artwork which was adorning Harry's walls.

Harry nodded before whispering back "its ok I put some special jammies on after I woke up last night so it won't show." He crept out of bed towards the shower giving Severus a worried glance before closing the door.

"Thanks" Andi whispered to him as she moved around the room gathering the laundry bag and making the boy's bed before telling the boy that they would be back in a few minutes to collect him before knocking on a few more doors and in Andi's case dragging some of the girls on the wing out of bed.

By the time they returned to Harry's room the boy was dressed in sweat pants and a hooded sweatshirt with Velcro high tops on his feet and a baseball cap on his head ready to go to breakfast. As the group progressed to the hall Harry raced around the girls tagging them and running away often being stopped by one of the girls and tickled or tagged back or in some cases picked up. This was most often done by a girl called Elisha who was apparently in here for 6 months for an aggressive assault, gang related they thought but were unable to prove anything. Her stay was always being extended for fighting and Severus himself had had to restrain her many times. It was therefore surprising to see her reaction to Harry and how caring she could be.

At breakfast Harry ate little often stopping to slip odd bits of fruit into his back to save for later. Severus shared a look with Andi which clearly said leave it. When Severus had finished he was spoken to by Andi.

"You will be going to Harry's classes today helping out the teachers, his class is a bit of a handful but keep an eye on him, try not to worry about the other boys behaviours, the teacher knows them a lot better than you do, she knows when to call for back up and when they are trying to prove themselves. Just sit with the group do what the teachers ask you and try and do as Harry asks. Oh and make sure he doesn't just play around with Elisha all day, we actually want them both to learn something in school sessions." Andi gave him a smile before turning to Harry.

"Ok Harry! Severus is your pupil for today look after him for me and make sure he stays out of trouble!" Andi told him before whispering something into his ear making his expression serious before nodding determinedly at her.

"Bye guys" she called over her shoulder as she left.

Harry seized his opportunity and grabbing Severus by the hand he dragged the man to the first class of the day, using the bathroom on the way. Harry and Severus were the first ones there and as Harry left to sit infront of a computer in the back of the classroom. The teacher clocked him and gave him a nod as he went to sit at the back of the room. Soon after they took their seats Elisha and one of the other girls arrived followed by a gang of 3 rough looking teens from B wing. They boys arrival made Harry give himself a quick grab before giving Severus a glance and seemingly less anxious than before he turned back to his screen.

The teacher clapped her hands making the kids stop and turn towards her.

"Yesterday we made a good start on our comic strips so today we will have about 20 minutes to finish them before you present them to the class, off you go." As she finished and sat at her desk and pressed play on some music which seemed rather repetitive drum and bass music to Severus but the kids seemed to approve, especially the older boys and the comic strips quickly came to life. Harry seemed engrossed in his ignoring the other boys but occasionally joking with Elisha and the other girl he had learned was Saima, an Indian girl who had burgled an old people's home and attacked one of the residents who had woken up mid-robbery. No problems occurred until it was time to present their comic strips. The older boys had mostly done comic strips based on people getting shot and stabbed and violent images which disturbed Severus but seemed to amuse the teacher immensely. Harry had done a strip based on a superhero who rescued a small girl and then flew her to a castle with a rainbow, of course the teenagers laughed and made fun of him, making Harry stiffen and become visibly anxious. Things went from bad to worse when the words along the bottom of each scene were all misspelled to the point where they barely resembled words apart from ones the teacher had corrected on her rounds of the room. Harry was unable to read or write past the ability of a five year old and although Andi spent every night helping with these basic skills they were still very obviously behind.

Harry was unable to read many of the words without help and the words he could were sounded out in a very disjointed way which led to the teenagers mimicking him in a baby voice. Harry had quickly burst into tears at this and grabbing onto the nearest desk had overturned it in the direction of the boys before launching into an attack on one of them with a keyboard from a computer, trying to smash it over one of the boys heads until Severus managed to wrestle it off him and restrain the still screaming, writhing child and escorting him out of the classroom towards the corridor. As Harry turned on him he was caught by a punch to the face which made him release the child away from him. Harry seemed to know what he had done and as his back hit the wall he slid down the wall till he was sitting in the floor with his knees to his chest sobbing.

Severus simply watched the child, he knew that the incident was being witnessed on the CCTV cameras and a restraint team was on its way, as they arrived Severus looking at them and shook his head silently sending them back on their way letting them know that they were no longer required.

It took a few minutes until Severus joined Harry on the floor, noticing a faint smell on Harry which he knew would mean the boy would need a change of sweat pants. Severus knew he was no good at the touchy feely moments so simply put an arm around the boys shoulder in reassurance before speaking up.

"Well that was surprising." Severus said letting it hang in the air for a moment before continuing "Let's go back to your room, you are probably in need of another pencil seeing as you snapped yours in half." At that he pulled Harry to his feet and together they walked back to his room where Severus told Harry to take all the time he needed while he waited outside the door.

When Harry re-emerged it was 15 minutes later and it was time for cookery class. Harry was now in a pair of board shorts instead of his sweat pants claiming that it was too hot for trousers; Severus knew differently but let the comment pass with a simple nod of the head.


	4. Chapter 4

Cookery was amusing to say the least; none of the class seemed disturbed at all by what had happened it seemed as though they were familiar with Harry's outbursts and soon the group were involved in making homemade chicken nuggets with mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables. (The staff lunch Severus noticed, so this is where they made it.) The teacher moved around the classroom and helped some of the students with their skills, never going near Harry though, who seemed to be in his own little world.

Severus was concerned that the boy who had thirty minutes ago wielded a computers keyboard towards a teenagers head was being trusted with a knife but while he watched Harry work he saw that the boy have massive cooking talent and was a better cook than he himself was. At the end of the class with massive amounts of praise being piled on Harry they left for lunch. Severus was in charge of taking all the teenagers from lesson to lunch and decided he should get to know his mentor better.

"How did you get to be such a good cook?" Severus asked impressed with Harry's cooking ability.

"My aunt used to make me cook all their meals, it was one of the only times they let me out the cupboard." The boy mumbled uncomfortably.

"Oh" was Severus' only contribution to that answer.

Severus and Harry's day was an exhausting and emotional day for Severus, the group never seemd phase by his outbursts and when Harry had been removed back to his room for a time out after starting a fight with Elisha over who had copied who on a maths worksheet although Severus knew that it was Harry who had copied Elisha. When Severus returned to the classroom to see if Elisha was alright she simply sighed at him and said "M used to it, he often goes for me, don't worry yourself Sevvie, m not made of china, if it was anyone else apart from Harry that had started on me they would have been in hospital by now, ya know what m saying" she said quietly and seriously obviously trying to make him understand she wasn't to be messed with.

When Severus went to retrieve Harry he found that he was sat on his bed building a lego house as if nothing had ever happened.

"Hey Sev" he bounced towards the door as it opened "Will you play football with me, usually I play with Trey but it's his day off today so Andi said you might be goalkeeper for today….So…..Will you?" Harry asked cautiously obviously expecting the answer to be a no.

Despite himself Severus agreed not willing to turn this boy down. The boy led him out to the astro turf pitches. They entered the middle pitch and Severus radioed through for a ball which soon came flying over the fence towards them. As they played the boys from B wing were let out onto one of the other pitches where they started shouting taunts at Harry. Severus was getting more and more aggravated by the boys who seemed to all be watching them through the mesh fencing separating the pitches.

Harry was ok until one of the oldest boys walked up to the bars and grabbed his crotch towards him. The boy must have been about fifteen and was built like a bodybuilder; it was obvious that he was dangerous and someone to be avoided and seeing Harry's scared face when the muscly boy started to join in the intimidation Severus suggested they go and see what the girls were up to as they hadn't come out. With a cautious look behind him Harry followed Severus out of the pitches and towards the lounge where the girls were playing cards around the coffee table. Harry and Severus soon joined in a game of cheat when two girls left to play pool on the big blue pool table behind them.

Severus was exhausted and relieved when over dinner Andi said she would take over Harry's evening and he could do Harry's evening tomorrow instead. With a quick goodbye between the two Harry went with Andi and Severus went to put his feet up in the staff quarters. It was past ten when he was shaken awake from his spot infront of the telly by Andi.

"Long day?" she asked him with a smile.

"Extremely" he groused closing his eyes again.

"You had a quieter day with him than I usually have, he behaved very well today. Only lashed out twice, the other three lessons he behaved impeccably and had a quiet free time session too." Andi spoke with an impressed tone "I think he likes you" she added.

"THAT was a quiet day?" Severus asked with a sigh "I barely survived one quiet day" he groused.

"Well I come with good news, tomorrow you are off one to one until after dinner." Everyone was very impressed with how you handled him today, he's not the easiest guest we have here, far from it but you connected with him and didn't hold grudges with him, he needs that. Anyway tomorrow morning you have a meeting with the boss, I don't know why so don't ask me but its at 9:30am so you get a lie in tomorrow- lucky guy!" Andi teased before smiling and taking herself off to her room.

Severus guessed he should turn in as well if he had a meeting tomorrow, he was just hoping he wouldn't be sacked, Dumbledore would never let him live that down.

As Severus lay in bed trying to sleep he found himself unable and just kept thinking back to the scared, frustrated little boy with more issues than a magazine and a child-like innocence that was so very endearing. He hoped that he would be able to help the boy when he left this institution. Severus lay awake trying to think about how he could get the boy in his care legally and was tossing and turning all night with this dilemma until he finally fell into a restless dream.


	5. Chapter 5

The meeting the next morning was in a room above the music room, it was white and boring and obviously an adults meeting room and not one of the rooms used by the children.

Severus was sat in amongst all the important looking people in suits with files infront of them. Bill stood and cleared his throat asking for attention.

"The first point I would like to raise is that I am promoting Severus Snape here from his position as care worker/ guard to one to one care worker of Harry James Potter. He has only been here a matter of days but seems to share an affinity with the boy and has made progress with him that only his key worker Andi has managed to achieve, after 3 hours he managed to get the boy to open up about his home life and kept him calm through three of his lessons yesterday on his first day of one to one work. An impressive feat I 'm sure you'll agree." Bill said proudly smiling at a confused looking Severus before sitting back down in his seat amongst grunts of surprise, before a suited grey haired man stood up.

"That is indeed a good turn around Harry as we know has rarely gotten through a class except for cookery and woodwork without a breakdown or a fight so this is indeed a pleasant surprise and I can only wish Severus Snape the best of luck with this remarkable young man." The grey haired man spoke and then a round of applause and good lucks were issued from around the table before the grey haired man continued.

"I'm afraid keeping him on track may now be somewhat more difficult when Harry learns of the news today I am hoping that the visit from his football coach will help to stem the disappointment when he learns that the Robinsons have seemily relinquished their fostering of Harry. They have claimed that he is simply too difficult for them as they are inexperienced foster carers and refused to take him back unless they were offered more money to take him back once he gets out of here in a few months. A very saddening development to say the least and I'm afraid that with his record other foster carers will be reluctant to take him in." The grey haired man sighed sadly and sat down.

"Graham, surely they can't do this, he was settled, he got into trouble, fair enough but he has shown improvement in their care!" Bill was clearly outraged by this decision. Whereas Severus saw plans emerge. If he could stall long enough he could get in touch with Albus and get a new guardian for the boy before he got placed with another string of foster families that wanted him for the money.

"If I may interrupt" Severus put his hand up seriously "Harry has shown some serious anger problems is that related to this current situation?" Severus asked.

"Harry is indeed here for his temper, it seems his past has caused him problems and he cannot cope with emotion in a healthy way. Andi is doing a fine job with him and on the outside he has been really trying but it seems to us that Harry is acting out to get back here rather than this being a punishment, he hates being passed around from foster placement to foster placement, here he gets routine, he gets Andi, he gets support wherever he needs it, a good schooling in small classes and he gets routine which he really craves. He is here because he was deemed dangerous to the public after beating up a young man who was evidentally bullying the boy in the neighbourhood. Harry's experiences have seemingly hurt his logic so whereas other children would fight Harry kidnapped him, locked him in a shed and then beat him senseless. It was what his relatives did to him in punishment so thats what Harry did to punish this young man. The court understood this and he was sent here. Harry was actually the one that called for the ambulance when he realised how hurt the boy was." Graham sighed and breathed out slowly as if prepering himself for something awful.

"Harrys victim was only 7, the courts understood but could not let him go, the papers were not allowed to cover the case and Harry's previous offences were nothing like this, it was a one off and Harry was horrified with himself. He was assesed by a psychologist and they don't believe it will happen again and his previous stays here were simply for thefts and Anti- social behaviour so we are not concerned with this development if anything we believe it will calm him down somewhat but understandably foster carers will have to know and will probably be put off by this. He's been through enough in his life, his temper is simply him being unable to understand what he is feeling, emotionally he is two years old, intellectually he is 5 years old and physically he is 9 years old not many would willingly take this on." Graham said leaving an eerie silence in the room.

Bill studied Severus wondering if this would change his relationship with the boy in question, but Severus appeared to be unfazed so carried on the meeting.

"Harry has been on many court orders to keep him on track, his school is court ordered, so he is unable to be removed from it as is his football team. He has been going to his football training since he was 7 and he has settled really well, he gets on well with everyone there and has never got into trouble whilst playing, it provides him with stability. We are lucky in some respects that his coach Lenny is an ex-con, he served five years for gang crimes, he understands Harry and comes by every week, they have a chat, play football and it seems to calm him down. I will tell Harry the news an hour before Lennys visit and pre-warn Lenny about whats happened, Severus you will be needed to supervise the visit this week." Bill stated leaving Severus wondering if today would be even more exhausting that yesterday.


	6. Chapter 6

Harry was sat in his meeting with Lenny, Andi and Bill had told him about his foster carers giving him up because they thought he would do better elsewhere, they looked at him expectantly but he knew it was coming he wasn't stupid. He had caused them a massive amount of trouble and although he got on with them better than many of his other carers he knew there would be many more times he would be moved on.

Lenny was trying to explain how the season was going and how they struggling without him, but he was just itching to play. Severus was watching Lenny in suspicion and Harry thought that was very funny that Lenny who had been put in prison but hadn't really committed any proper crime was being treated like a criminal but Severus was fine sitting in a room with Harry who had kidnapped someone. It made Harry laugh inside. It was a funny old world.

Eventually Harry and Lenny went out to take shots at Severus and practise kick ups. It was leaving time and Severus was escorting Lenny out when Lenny stopped him in the corridor. Severus was worried at first but seeing the look on the man's face he saw no reason to be scared. The man was a skin head with a massive gang tattoo on his left forearm reminding Severus very much of his own 'gang' mark.

"Keep an eye on him for me will you. He may act the tough guy but he's more vulnerable than he will let anyone realise. You're different Sev, I can tell you're like me. You've done time, probably a gang man…Stop me if I'm wrong at any point but I can tell that you and me are cut from the same cloth, that's why Harry gravitates towards us, if you mess that lad up I will make your life a misery and I think you know how. He needs people like us in his life, if I didn't have previous I would have adopted him years ago. Just look out for him, don't judge him like you've tried to judge me." Lenny whispered dangerously.

Severus simply nodded, this man was extremely perceptive, and doing prison time could do that to you as he knew only too well. Only his time in prison hadn't been documented in muggle records.

He left Lenny at the door and went back to find Harry still practising with the football outside on the pitches with Andi who was counting for him. When he saw Severus he stopped and waved.

"Did you like Lenny, he looks scary but he's really gentle, he grew up in London, he was in a gang cos his family didn't look after him proper. He's really good though, doesn't ask no questions and his misses takes care of me sometimes. His boys are nutters though, all dead clever and fast. Lenny reckons it comes from Mandy's side. Mandy's his wife. When my foster carers aren't treating me right they take me in, treat me like one of their own, just not allowed to stay with them too long cos Lenny's done time. Don't know why that really matters, he done his time and he's turned his life around now. Lenny says that one day I'll be like him, I'll clean up my act and be a good guy like him. "So what we doing now?" Harry asked as he kicked the ball against the fence releasing all his pent up energy.

Severus struggled to take in all that he was saying. After the boy stopped chatting he nodded his head. "He's passable; we have your reading time now and then you can hang out with the other girls before bed if you want." Severus told him casually.

Harry picked his ball up and jogged to the gate waiting for Severus to unlock the gate. Andi grabbed up her hoodie from the floor and jogged over to catch up with Harry. Severus trudged behind them feeling like he was in need of a coffee to help him keep up with the boy.

"Come on Sev!" Harry shouted evidently eager to get back to his room and get some reading done.

As Severus unlocked the gate Harry ran out of the gate and raced out of their sight leaving Andi and Severus following behind at a more leisurely pace. Andi watched him run off climbing cupboards as he came to them.

"Sev, I'm off now, I've finished for the night, make sure he reads one of his books, let him stay up with some of the girls and then make sure he's in bed by half nine, he shouldn't give you too much trouble with that, make sure you prepare him for tomorrow we have a new guest coming in, she'll be in room 12 opposite his, she's not been in before so I don't know what she'll be like, we just know that she'll be in his class list. See ya later!" she cried cheerfully and after shouting a goodnight to Harry she disappeared down toward the staff quarters.

Harry had beaten Severus to the room by a good few minutes and was sat on his bed with a book in his hand waiting to start.

"The b-o-y boy in the b-e-d bed" Harry read uneasily and seeing Severus nod he continued his book cautiously.

Listening to Harry read it became increasingly obvious to Severus that Harry would not be able to attend Hogwarts when it restarted in September. He would have to share a very interesting conversation with Albus indeed.

Harry was sat beside Severus on his bed reading for 30 minutes until he grew restless and closed his book signalling to Severus that he was done reading and ready to spend some time in the lounge with the girls. He ran to grab his shoes and use the bathroom before placing his cap on his head and joining Severus in the corridor where they walked silently to the lounge.

"Hey Harry!" Elisha shouted and waved him over to them. "Have you heard there's a newbie joining us tomorrow?" she asked. Harry shook his head, no one's been told anything but apparently she's gonna be in our group" Elisha told him in what sounded like a conspiring way to Severus. Severus nodded.

"I was meant to tell you this evening she will be joining your group in lessons but I have been told no more than that." Severus said and put a hand up to block incoming questions. "You have an hour Harry" he concluded before leaving the group to patrol rest of the lounge.


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning was full of surprises, first class of the day was interesting to say the least, Harrys new classmate may have been in the G wing but was certainly not a girl. Harry had not taken well to the new boy and had been anxious all through his art class culminating in Harry asking to be excused from class to use the bathroom for over fifteen minutes before arriving back in class and laying his head on his desk.

Maths was even worse, Harry was awful at it and when asked a simple question which he got wrong the new boy had laughed at him and called him stupid. Harry gave him a warning glance and he took some deep breathes to calm himself. The teacher did not notice and asked Harry to read out an easy question.

"Harry h-a-d had 5 s-w-ee-t-s sweets, J-e-n-n-y Jenna h-a-s…" Harry was interrupted by laughter from the new boy.

"HAHA this is brilliant, as if we have a three year old here, baby can't ever read, what a loser!" the boy taunted him from his corner of the room where he had all the answers on his sheet ticked.

Harry lost it. Tables went over and Harry started screaming as he trashed the room.

"Is baby having a tantrum?" the new boy teased.

Harry stopped his destruction of the room and punched the new kid square in the nose, Severus jumped into action but Harry managed to land two more punches before he was able to pull Harry away. The restraint team came through the door and each boy was escort physically back to their own room.

Harry was still unusually angry when Severus went to retrieve him half an hour later once his report had been filled in.

"He called me a loser and a baby" Harry grumbled while Severus stood at the door.

"You punched him enough for him to need stitches" Severus levelled.

"He'll heal to be as annoying as he was before" Harry snapped.

"True" Severus said not willing to give any more fuel to Harrys fire. "He will not be in anymore classes today I suggest you get changed and join me for science." Severus suggested noting the wet and ripped shirt no doubt a result of the trauma of the scuffle and the anger he felt afterwards.

The rest of the lessons went without a hitch and Severus was proud of the way Harry conducted himself although he point blank refused to read aloud in any of his classes and seemed more anxious and cautious than usual not even attempting any work he was unsure of. Instead he would cross his arms on top of the table and place his head on them withdrawing himself from the situation, this worried not only the teachers but Severus too.

By the time the day was through and Severus sat in his team meeting to discuss Harry he had a long list of points that he was bringing forward as did his teachers.

The meeting was quiet and concerned, not the angry or jokey meetings they were used to when discussing Harry. The day's events had cast a dark shadow over Harry's progress and Severus was hoping to talk to the newest youngster tomorrow.

"We need to move the new kid, his rooming and his class group." Severus spoke with determination.

"We are unable to move him from the G Wing as he is currently considered as harmful to himself but we could try and rearrange his class group I suppose but he will settle in, anyone else we could put in there could be even more dangerous to Harry and his progress but we could try and switch some groups around to fit someone else into that class." Bill said as he reviewed the class lists infront of him.

"You say the new boy is harmful to himself? Is he not dangerous to others?" Severus asked thinking the centre was for young offenders not self-harmers.

"He is here on a protection order, he has been removed from his father's care as he was being abused, part of his abuse was his father making him harm himself, he has seemingly continued this when he and his mother were moved to a women's shelter. His mother has been worried about their safety and his self-harming so he has been sent here and his mother is trying to make arrangements elsewhere for a fresh start. He should not be here long and is not dangerous to others physically although even his mother has said he is verbally and emotionally vicious. He and Harry it seems are not as good a match as we first thought they might be.

"Can I meet with him when he comes back from being stitched up?" Severus asked. "I would like a word with him regarding the earlier incident…I assure you I will not have a go at him, I am merely curious as to where his verbal spikes came from and if he is remorseful now." Severus said with a shrug hoping they would go for it.

Bill and Andi looked at each other before Andi nodded.

"I trust you Severus" Bill said before dismissing the meeting.

Severus walked down to the meeting room where the new boy had just arrived back.

"What on earth is going on! Did Dumbledore send you?" Severus started in a deadly whisper.

"Hey, good to see you too Sev! Was shocked to see you here actually no one had seen you recently, father thought you had topped yourself at least that's what he told me before he beat mother up. Mother is probably trying to off herself now anyway, now that the whole world knows what father was doing to her anyway. So Harry eh? Is he like a retard or brain damaged or summat… Whatever he is he's a head case anyway should be sedated if you ask me." The boy lifted his chin defiantly daring Severus to argue back.

"If you knew anything about that poor boy you humiliated you would not have said anything in there, he has lived through so much that you have no right to say anything, I thought I had taught you not to judge a book by its cover. You listen and you listen good. I understand you are going through a tough time right now, I understand that you feel angry with the world but I cannot understand why you would set out to make anymore enemies right now." Severus whispered harshly trying not to be heard after he had told the other staff he would be gentle with the delicate boy.

"Wow! Sev you know what I did not have you down as someone who could be easily taken in but here we are… you believing anything Harry bloody Potter has told you, that spoiled brat has taken you in good and proper, I thought you had a better head on your shoulders." The boy added a smirk onto his lips.

"I will not get angry with you but I think you know I could not be 'taken in' after all my experience in life so I ask you this, do you truly think that Harry Potter is spoiled after all that you have witnessed today, look deeper at the child, spend twenty four hours with your tongue bitten and truly watch him, I think you will then discover just how untrue your statements and if you feel they are untrue tomorrow I want you to then think about how you can make it up to him and really think, you are no longer under your parents noble protection. Your father has had a breakdown and you and your mother have taken the brunt since I have been gone but some in this life have suffered even worse things than you and are trying to rebuild their live rather than wallow in self pity. I have rarely been this disappointed in you Draco Malfoy" Severus said before leaving the room to say goodnight to Harry and see if the boy would read for him.


	8. Chapter 8

Draco Malfoy was unable to be moved from the class he had been put in due to problems within other classes, they were going to keep the groups the same for the remainder of the week and then next week once one of the boys had gone home Draco was going to move into the group space that he would leave. Severus was unsure whether this was a blessing or a curse.

Draco was for his part trying not to cause any more trouble with Harry and had taken note from his Godfather and was simply observing the other boy from a distance. At first his hatred for the name Potter made him blind to what was really infront of him but when he really watched the boy he became aware of just how much damage he and others had done to the boy. Severus was as usual sat at the back of the room overviewing the group and occasionally doing jobs the teacher asked him to do. Harry was for his part trying to curl himself into the smallest ball imaginable as if that would turn him invisible. Occasionally he would be asked to read but he would simply throw a sneaky glance towards Draco and shake his head vigourously and silently until the teacher moved on.

Draco watched Harry in cookery and noticed what a talent and ability he had where he himself could barely peel a potatoe. Harry would repeat an action a few too many times so Draco could pick out his habits. His father had often sat with him and trained him in this skill telling him that if he could covertly pick up his enemies weaknesses he could crush them. If he now wanted to crush Harry Potter he had more than enough amo to use on him. The boy couldn't read or write, he was unable to hold his temper or deal with any emotion other than excitable like he did very well. Harrys habits suggested to Draco abuse either of himself of by others which he was now repeating in himself when he was anxious he would grab his crotch as if letting go would mean it fell off, when a teachers asked him to do something he felt he couldn't do he would scratch his arms or pull his hair and when the stress got too much he would lie his head down on his desk and retreat into his own little world.

Severus looked worriedly at him and exchanged meaningful glances with the teachers often over the other student's heads. Draco Malfoy was now very unsure as to what he wanted to do most, fix the boy or pull him apart entirely. He decided that for today he would simply keep his head down and get on with his work.

That lunchtime Draco had had his lunch spat in by Elisha and his fingers stamped on by one of the other thugs he was living with; apparently messing with Harry wasn't a good idea. He was unpopular on G wing even though he had earned respect from the B wing boys which felt pretty good the wing he shared was with all the girls who seemingly hated him for upsetting Harry so much.

Harry had had enough and in his last class which was a design technology class (one of Harrys favourite classes) he had lost control of his emotions upturning tables and kicking a hole in the wall in frustration when he was unable to make his wooden moving toy work after cutting one of the wooden cogs a fraction too small, it was the best one in the class by far and usually he would simply try again but he had had enough of failure and lost control smashing the place to bits and having to be restrained for his own safety by a mob of guards who dragged Harry back to his room kicking and screaming. The rest of the group sent glares his way obviously blaming him for the latest outburst.

Harry had calmed down but refused to come out of his room for dinner or to read with either Andi or Severus, it was worrying and all the G wing girls could talk about in the lounge. Feeling more guilty than he had in his entire life Draco got up and headed to Harry's room to do something he had never done.

"What do you want?" Harry asked angrily lifting his head out of a magazine with pictures of cars.

"Why have you got that if you can't read?" Draco asked seriously.

"I like looking at the pictures." Harry grumbled feeling ashamed that he couldn't read any of the magazines he had. "Sometimes Andi reads me the articles but she's busy tonight, they're having a meeting about me and trying to find me a foster home, they think I don't know…but I'm not as stupid as people think I am" Harry said meaningfully.

"Look… about what I said the other day…I don't think you're stupid. I get that you can't read well but you can do loads of other stuff better than anyone else in here. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry" Draco mumbled the last part going bright red.

"What do you want me to say now?" Harry asked to a confused Draco. Harry went bright red this time. "No ones ever apologised to me before, hit me, called me names, locked me away for days at a time and tried to make me their slave yeah but never apologise. What do I do now?" Harry asked in confusion like a three year old might ask.

Draco felt like even more of an arse now.

"Now I make it up to you by being helpful in someway and eventually we forget about me being a total prat" Draco told him seriously perching on Harry's desk chair.

"How do you make it up to me?" Harry asked curiously and cautiously.

"I dunno" Draco shrugged "I could not laugh at you in class, I could help you with your reading and writing, I could read you your car magazine" Draco said throwing out suggestions.

"OK" Harry said

"Ok what?" Draco asked.

"I will let you do all those things" Harry said with a small smile. Draco hadn't said he would do all of those things he meant he wanted Harry to pick one. Oh dear he could reject him again now could he.

"Cool" Draco shrugged trying to seem unfazed, "Shall I read you the page about the new Porsche?" Draco asked.

Harry beamed at him and shuffled over on the bed to make more room for his reader. Draco felt something he had never felt before, he was unsure as to what it was he was feeling… Was it acceptance…Was it friendship?...What was it?


	9. Chapter 9

The next meeting was an interesting one for Severus, it was Draco's second meeting and seemingly very different from the first, he was on the highest reward system going, he had been helping Harry in all of his classes and was making great progress on stopping his self- harming. Draco's mother was seemingly M.I.A. since she had said goodbye to him two weeks ago, her account had been emptied and her passport gone. When Draco had been told about this he had shut himself away and was put on close observation when he began to hurt himself, his stay now had a departure date and it was in two weeks' time. He had been found a foster family with only one other child and he was six years old, Draco had met them briefly yesterday and they seemed to get on Ok.

"He has made great progress" Bill said approvingly looking at his file. "He's on the highest reward system possible and has been more or less a teaching assistant in his groups, his last school was a very expensive primary school it seems and even the hardest work we can offer him is completed within minutes. He and Harry still often fall out and fight like cat and dog but it is more a case that they each now have a 'safe' person to blow off some steam on each other. I feel that he will be ready to move on in two weeks. Andi as his keyworker what do you think?" Bill asked.

"He certainly has made great progress but I'm not sure if he's going to be able to cope in a foster family, from talking to him he is used to a very posh life, his family had over five million pounds in their account before his mother took it away. I think that Draco won't be able to cope on the out in the real world. I would like to spend time with Harry and Draco together, as much as Draco can help Harry in his schoolwork I think Harry can help Draco adapt to the real life Draco's about to experience with his foster family, and especially how to look after himself." Andi suggested looking around the room as she spoke.

"I agree Andi. Just make sure they still get one-to-one time with you too but that sounds good, lets try tonight. Severus if you can stay behind, everyone else you may go." Bill said and as he finished all that could be heard was scraping chairs and the shuffling of papers.

Severus sat wondering what was going on. Bill sat down with a heavy sigh.

"Harry has been with us for six weeks already as have you. I have some bad news for you, we have found a replacement for our missing staff member and we have decided that once Harry leaves you will end your contract also." Bill said looking regretful.

Severus for his part had been expecting this since the day he had arrived he was only agency staff after all and surprised he had been here this long. He nodded his head towards Bill silently letting him continue.

"I really wish I could have kept you on Severus, you've become a really good part of our team, the kids get you and respect you. When you first started I thought you were going to be a disaster with them but your not. I have tried to pay off the agency to keep you on full time but they have declined so we have no choice, we have managed to arrange it so that you can stay as long as Harry is here, it would be unwise to have you leave while he is still here, he needs stability, especially with the uncertainty of where he's going to go when he leaves. I just wanted you to be the first to know." Bill said regretfully.

"I knew it was coming Bill, it is no problem, I am used to it." Severus said standing to leave.

"I'll miss having you around Severus, enjoy the next 4 and half months, keep up the good work!" Bill told him sombrely as Severus made his way out of the door. It was Severus' day off and time for his weekly conversation with Albus, he was getting very bored of meetings.

Severus always had Saturdays off, they would always be the same, team meetings followed by a walk into town where he would meet with Albus at a local park and trade information. He disliked being away from St Brutus' and would often find his mind wondering to how Harry was getting on without him. Once he had told Albus of the comings and goings of the week and Albus had given him theories and plans Severus would take the long route back to the centre admiring the beauty of the area before settling down on the sofa in the staff area to share his sarcastic personality with Andi who would allow him to be as snarky and mean about the world as possible with only a giggle in return. It had been this way for six weeks and he hoped that his Saturday routine would continue.

This Saturday after his meeting with Albus where the old head teacher gave away surprisingly less than usual he had his routine changed. Severus and Andi were sat on the sofa putting the world to rights when Andi placed a hand upon his knee and within that moment something within Severus stirred. Pulling a cushion onto his lap he realised that no woman had made him feel like this since Lily had all those years ago, he had dated but no woman had this effect on him.

He looked up shocked but with a ghost of a smile on his lips, leaning in slightly he met Andis mouth with his and they shared a gentle first kiss. Andi and Severus pulled apart when they required more oxygen finding each other smiling. Severus's rational brain told him this should not be happening and that he was here on a mission, his man brain was telling him to take her back to his room and his gentlemanly brain told him to invite her for dinner but his heart was telling him that he had fallen hook line and sinker in lover with the much younger woman who had short blonde hair with insanely bright colours, wore band t-shirts and jeans which made her legs look like they were carved by art with hoodies which showed her quirky personality. Oh God he was in love with a woman half his age!


	10. Chapter 10

It was Draco's leaving day and things were going well, Draco actually looked happy to be going home with the Carter family, probably happier than Severus ever remembered him being. Harry was looking less than thrilled but he would get over it within the week.

Harry and Draco's sessions together were being run on Sundays and Wednesdays. Draco would help Harry with his reading, writing and basic maths and Harry would tell Draco about things such as shopping, making sandwiches, running his own bath and helping him understand that although the Carters were amazing there would always be a risk of being moved on by social services for any reason they could think of. This was not necessarily true but did serve the purpose of preparing him for any future disappointments.

Harry and Draco were sat playing on the computer in the lounge when Draco's foster family arrived. Andi and Severus were on duty to make sure the process ran smoothly and all the other kids were in classes. Mr Carter was carrying the little boy on his hip, Harry thought his name was Thomas or Timothy or something but couldn't remember, the woman was the image of a mother with a long flowy, flowery skirt, shoulder length brown hair and a green cardigan which was buttoned at the front with two buttons. She smelled like lavander and instantly Harry wished he was going with this family too. Draco caught sight of them and ran to hug Mrs Carter who had a massive smile on her face, she told him how handsome he looked in his new clothes. Draco blushed before saying hello to the two males smiling at him.

"Harry, come meet The Carters" Draco called over to where he had left Harry on the computer. Andi was sat whispering to him.

"This is Draco's day, we should be happy for him, you'll see him again I'm sure" Andi whispered to him.

"Hello Mr Carter, Mrs Carter, it's nice to meet you" Harry said with eyes examining his trainers and voice polite and hushed. It broke everyone's heart to see this poor boy looking so jealous and heartbroken at his friend getting his happy ever after.

"It's lovely to meet you too Harry, Draco has told us so much about you, you sound like a very good friend." Mrs Carter said. "Would it be ok if we brought Draco to visit occasionally?" she asked him gently. Harry nodded, he had tears in his eyes but he refused to let anyone see them and refused to let them fall.

"We'll just go and get Draco's things and let you boys say goodbye, Draco, we will see you in Bill's office when your done here." Mr Carter told them leading his wife away before she could take Harry with them too.

"I guess I'll see you next Friday evening then if we can clear it with Bill." Draco said trying to be positive. "Hey don't be sad, you won't have to share all the girls now will you, you have them all to yourself." Draco joked making Harry laugh, the tears vanished as he told himself to man up.

"Cool, see you then Dray!" Harry told him with a smile. The boys high fived and with one look over his shoulder as he walked Draco left for his new life. His new life until his mother was found anyway.

"How you doing Harry?" Andi asked him cautiously.

"Ok" he replied with a sad smile. "Hey Sev what lesson we got next? Have we got time for a game of pool before we go?" Harry asked, his upset completely forgotten.

"We have art history in twenty minutes so a quick game is on the cards." Severus replied after checking his watch. Andi smiled at the pair before telling them she would see them later and off she went.

"You like her!" Harry teased him.

"I don't dislike her" Severus replied.

"Nooooooo, you like her like her" Harry teased with a grin. "I can tell you do. Don't worry I can keep a secret. I won't tell" Harry told him seriously.

"Just hit the ball timewaster" Severus bit out.

The game was smooth and finished within the allocated time and soon they were sat in History, the class were studying the Tudors and Craig, one of the older boys from B wing was living it up at their fake banquet, Harry and Elisha had started a food fight earlier so the room was a mess but none of it mattered to the class sat munching on chicken legs and potatoes. Craig whispered something to Harry which changed the atmosphere in the room, no one heard what it was but Harry was suddenly very interested in something beside the teacher's desk. Craig nodded his head Harry's way before going over to Ryan and starting a fight which to Severus looked staged but nonetheless as the closest guard on hand he was required to try and separate the boys with the other members of the restraint team. Harry had taken the distraction to steal the teachers, phone and wallet and after finding some painkillers and a piece of string he took them as well. He could always try and sell them on later.

After the fighting boys were escorted out of the room and class was dismissed Harry left the room with all his new possessions well hidden under his clothing he made his way to the bathroom outside the lunch hall to wash up for lunch putting the wallet and phone in one of the shared toilet cubicles for Ryan to pick up during lunch. He stashed the pills and rope in his shoes and left with Severus to have his lunch. It was during lunch that his teacher had discovered her belongings missing and the unit was on lockdown. All the kids were being confined to their rooms and each kid was going to have their room checked and a version of a strip search which was slightly less invasive for minors.

Ryan and Craig had the phone and the wallet but unfortunately Harry had the pills and the string which were both banned items. He was going to be in huge trouble soon.

Severus knocked on his door wearing rubber gloves which meant he had been doing room searches, "Time for your search Harry, if you go with Andi and Trey, Bill and I will search your room." As a last angry front Harry shot at them "Your not gonna find anything, dunno why your bothering" Harry left, following Andi down the corridor. On Severus suspicions they had already searched Craig and Ryans rooms and found the phone and the wallet but the painkillers were still missing and Severus was hoping he was wrong and Harry hadn't kept them but he had a feeling he was about to find the missing painkillers. The room search lasted fifteen minutes and even though they found Harry's stash of stolen food from the lunch hall they hadn't found the painkillers which made Severus breath a sigh of relief as they left Harry's room.

"Don't get ahead of yourself Severus we may not have found anything in his room but they haven't brought him back yet." Bill warned his colleague.

Severus turned to defend the boy but his face dropped as he watched a very angry looking Andi marching Harry along the corridor who looked furious. Andi let go of Harry's arm at his door and he walked in without a word. Andi shut the door before turning to Bill and Severus and taking from her pockets a piece of string and a packet of painkillers. "They were in his shoes" was all she offered the two before she strode away to let B wing out of their lockdown.

Severus ran his hand through his hair roughly as he stared at the boy lying on his bed reading as if nothing had happenedSeverus sighed before losing his temper and kicking the wall roughly. Bill put a hand on his shoulder, "Go take a breather Severus I'll deal with Harry, you followed protocol, it's not your fault these things happen, without Draco he was bound to slip up it was better sooner rather than later, hopefully it won't impact his time here, he will have to have his rewards taken away though, be aware that in the coming days he's going to try more risky behaviour like this, just keep your cool." Bill told him before calling Harry out of his room to take him to his office.

Severus and Andi sat in the staff room in silence disappointed in one Harry Potter.


	11. Chapter 11

Bill had indeed been right and for the next two days Harry found it impossible to make it through a single lesson without being kicked out and sent back to his room to cool off. Even Lenny's visit hadn't calmed his mood. Severus was being patient, he really was, but the boy needed to realised that if he jeopardised his release date he could be jeopardising any chance he may have at a fresh start. Albus had set a plan in motion that could see Harry getting a fresh start and a happier life but true to form Dumbledore had not told Severus anything but merely that Harry needed to be good and the release date needed to remain the same. (Cryptic but hopeful.) If he could just help the boy control his temper then he was hopeful Dumbledore could hold his side of the bargain.

The week came to a head on Severus' day off, Harry had been in the yard hanging out with some of the girls when he had been caught with some of the other boys whispering around the gates. The incident had been reported and not followed up. That evening as Severus spent the early evening with Andi in her room sharing some adult time Bill burst through the door expecting to simply find Andi but instead finding two very sweaty naked adults under the covers of Andi's bed. He was shocked but refused to show it. "Get dressed, sort yourselves out and get your backsides in your office Harry needs to be taken to A and E and refuses to be taken by anyone except you two." Bill chucked their shirts towards them and left.

Harrys trip to A and E was a quiet affair, on route Andi asked Harry what had happened as they were both sat upfront in the sleek black Audi which Bill had let them borrow. Harry had simply told him he wasn't a snitch and sat sullenly holding a dishcloth to his bleeding head and scowling at being caught out.

Harry had ended up with a cast being put on his broken wrist, five stitches in his head and a note on how to care for a concussion. It had taken an hour of CCTV footage over the course of a few days to piece together what had happened to him. Harry had been beaten up by Craig, Ryan and several other B wing boys after being bullied by them since Draco's departure possibly even slightly before. Bill explained that it was important to have allies in here and with Draco gone and Elisha not being as interested in Harry anymore Harry had had to befriend some boys in B wing before Draco's departure to ensure he had some allies in here but as in his first stay here the boys did not want to be associated with someone so young and even though he had tried to prove himself by being as troublesome as possible in the past few days they had arranged a fight in the free time and Harry had agreed. Harry had eventually been outnumbered by a number of boys and beaten pretty badly. The restraint team had a great difficulty in breaking up the fight and removing the bullies but when they had they discovered Harry had been knocked out.

"It happens" Bill told them that evening once Severus was sure Harry wasn't brain damaged, "Harry knows how it works, he knows why he's in G wing and not B wing. He knows that he should stay away from the B wing boys except for lessons but he always has a go to fit in with them, just in case they accept tend to get very heated when you have so many teenagers and young people locked up together 24/7 just like sometimes things get steamy in S wing" Bill told them which made them blush.

"At first I was angry with you both because you work so closely and this could jeopardise your working relationship. I did however think further and I give you my blessing, Severus will only be here another 4 months and you seem to be a good match and if it doesn't interfere with your work I see no problem with this continuing and in future I shall endeavour to knock harder before entering staff rooms….Even in an emergency" Bill finished with a chuckle.

Severus and Andi linked hands in their first public show of unity before nodding toward Bill and heading back to the staff quarters to pick up where they left off. It was odd having a partner after being alone for so long he was just hoping they would be able to carry on being together when Severus' contract ended in 4 months' time. He was mentally making a to do list of what he would need to do in order to make sure he and Andi could continue when he finished, maybe he would get a house nearby so he could visit often, maybe eventually she would move in with him. He still hadn't touched his inheritance that was enough for a house and then some. If they went together it would show her how strongly he felt about her. Yes thats what he'd do.

After finishing off what they had begun earlier Severus lay a happy man. As Severus lay awake watching Andi sleep by the light of the moon he tried to guess what Albus had planned form him, it was just as easy as trying to guess what a dog dreamed about but he would give it a go anyway. Maybe he will be the boys private tutor at Hogwarts, maybe Albus would ask him to give the boy a crash course in basic skills in hopes he could learn enough to passably take part in normal classes and normal life at their school, maybe he was going to arrange a wizarding family for the boy to stay with like the Weasleys or the Lovegoods, maybe he should get some sleep before another long day at work tomorrow. That last one was a great idea and he rolled over putting an arm over Andi and snuggling into her as he began to drift away for the night.


	12. Chapter 12

It was many months before Albus' plans came to light. It was a team meeting and Severus had a month left. Harry was making great progress and had almost made it through a week of classes without trouble only being thrown out of one class.

"Severus, a word please" Bill called from the door of the lounge. After informing the group he was sat with he would be back soon he left the room and joined Bill in his office.

"I had an interesting visit from social services this morning regarding Harry's next foster placement. They think they have found the perfect placement for him" Bill said sounding anxious for some reason.

"That's good news is it not?" Severus asked cautiously.

"It is Severus and I do agree with the gentleman that visited that it would make perfect sense for him to be placed within this family but I do not understand why I was not informed of this option before, especially when the foster family in question has such close contact with Harry and never volunteered this information before." Bill stopped and looked at Severus, studying him.

"Is it Lenny because he has offered before, it was my belief that Harry was unable to be placed with his family because of his previous convictions" Severus looked confused. "Have they finally come to their sensese and placed him with Lenny's family because that would be a brilliant idea." Severus told the man.

"No Severus they are still refusing to send the boy to Lenny, they have decided to place the boy in the care of one Severus Snape" Bill announced.

Severus was beyond shocked. He leaned back in his chair and ran his fingers through his hair.

"A Mr Dumbledore of social services visited me" Bill began and Severus inwardly started cursing Dumbledore and his ridiculous plans. "He informed me that you trained as a foster carer several years ago and have only fostered once for a few months as an emergency placement but that after looking at your file you would be ideal, he does not want an immediate answer he only asked me to get you to respond to him within two weeks with your answer." Bill paused and looked at him pensively. "I will not pressure or advise you but I suggest you speak to Andi if you are considering this, I was asked if you had any personal relationships, I did inform Mr Dumbledore about Andi but he simply said he approved so it will not affect anything, if you want to foster or even adopt the boy, he is yours Severus." Bill concluded as he opened the door to let Severus out he simply said. "Good luck with your decision" and as he finished speaking his office door closed.

Severus watched Harry talking animatedly through the window to the lounge. Could he care for him 24 hours a day 7 days a week 365 days a year he wondered. Harry caught sight of him and beamed through the glass waving him into the room. He thought looking at the boy's face maybe he could.

That evening while after he had settled Harry into his room for the night he prepared himself for a conversation with Andi.

"I need to talk to you about something" Severus began sitting on what was now 'his' side of Andi's bed. Andi nodded looking worried. "I have been asked to take in a child, he has nowhere else to go and even after finding out about our relationship the powers that be still want me to take this child in." Severus paused "I don't know what to do and I thought you might have some words of wisdom for me." Severus looked expectantly towards Andi.

"I can't tell you what to do Sev. This is big, I will support any decision you make and will try my hardest to make us work but I can't make your decision for you. You need to ask yourself if you can keep this child well, happy and whether you can give this kid the stability they will need. If you know them then do you know if they want to live with you, do you get on? Are you ready to be a father?" Andi asked the last question with great determination that he should not force himself to take a child in if he wasn't ready for the responsibility.

Severus pondered on the last question Andi asked him for several days before reaching his final conclusion. It had been arrived at a moment where he was sure he could answer it. Harry was having a tough day, he had been feeling unwell for a few days and had soldiered through his classes until he had refused to go to English. His English teacher told Severus that she thought he was just trying to get out of reading his report and even though Severus was convinced he wasn't faking he had managed to persuade Harry to class and to after much persuasion he had managed to get Harry on task.

English class had reached the halfway mark when Harry threw his table over unprovoked and tried to kick the door down with no explanantion. As the boy was escorted physically down the hall to his room Harry threw up his stomach contents onto the floor splashing both pairs of shoes and both pairs of trousers. Severus was disgusted and continued to feel even more disgusted as he helped the boy get cleaned up and tucked into bed. What really caught Severus was the feeling of something else though and he knew in that moment as he watched the boy sleep covered in sweat and wearing nothing but a pair of disposable underwear that he had made his final decision. He decided he needed to go to Bills office to tell him his decision and summoned Andi with a frown marked upon his face to meet him in Bills office to tell them both together. It would be less painful that way he thought.


	13. Chapter 13

Severus sat beside Andi in front of Bill; both of them were looking at him expectantly.

"I have been doing a lot of thinking and have come to a decision. I would be happy to foster Harry." Severus said quickly.

"Harry?" Andi asked, "as in our Harry, Harry Potter? That's who you were asked to take in?" Andi asked shocked.

Severus nodded his head.

"I was hoping you would say that I shall inform Mr Dumbledore immediately, congratulations Severus you'll be fantastic for him" Bill said shaking his hand.

"Of course you said yes you idiot, why did it take you this long?" Andi asked smiling and kissing him on his cheek.

"I guess I was scared I would mess up or that I wouldn't be able to cope" Severus offered.

Andi laughed loudly "you really can be slow sometime Sev! Harry and you get on better than any father son relationship, better than many best friends I know, you turned the boy around when no one else could. What was there to think about?" Andi asked him

"I believe the question I was thinking about was from a wise woman who once asked. Are you ready to be a Daddy" Severus said trying to imitate Andi's voice for the question she had asked him.

"Fair enough, but how did you find the answer to that wise question? Andi asked.

Severus started to recall his day and the events that had occurred. "…so when I got him back to the room I cleaned him up and washed him down, he undressed himself and got ready for bed and I realised I wasn't even partially worried that I was covered in sick I just sat beside him wiping his head with a flannel to cool him down. The intuition where I knew something wasn't right with him this morning was right. I had on instinct known that he was unwell and instinctively knew what to do when he was sick. It all worked on autopilot…The instinct was simply a parenting instinct and when he thanked me and closed his eyes I just watched him sleep, like I couldn't tear my eyes away from him until I was 100 per cent sure he wouldn't disappear or be sad or scared did I leave him. I didn't even want to leave him to come here I just wanted to watch him sleep. Then I knew I was ready." Severus finished to find Andi looking at him happily with a cheesy grin on her face and Bill looking very proud.

"I think you will make a brilliant father for the boy Severus, now all that's left to do is tell him shall we leave it till this evening, if we give him a visit to tell him the good news together I believe it may cheer him up somewhat" Bill suggested.

Andi and Severus nodded and left together, Andi was chatting animatedly about how Severus would have to decorate Harry's room and what cool stuff he could buy the boy. Severus just smiled, he couldn't have imagined a better situation right now he just hoped Harry would be as excited as he and Andi were.

"How are you feeling Harry?" Severus asked as he walked into Harry's room followed by Andi and Bill.

"Bit better" he said sounding raspy. Harry sipped some water before looking to the three adults suspiciously "what are you all doing here?" he asked.

"I've had a bit of good news Harry" Bill said smiling at him. "We've found you somewhere to live when you leave here." Bill looked at Harry and Harry could only hope the place he was going wasn't an orphanage or a group home.

"So you've found me a foster family?" Harry asked hoping it was a foster family.

"Yes Harry we have, only a foster father I'm afraid but he's a good guy and I reckon you'll get on great with him" Bill said with an ever increasing smile.

"Whats he called?" Harry asked. All the adults turned to Severus who coughed before announcing "your new foster fathers name is Severus Snape!"

Harry instantly grinned and launched himself into Severus' arms feeling a lot better all of a sudden. He was going home with Severus a man who he had puked on, punched, been caught stealing by and someone who still wanted him. This was amazing.

"Thank you thank you thank you" Harry repeated over and over again while he hugged his new foster father.

"I care for you a great deal Harry, more than you know child." Severus told him as he continued to hold Harry close to him.

Bill coughed to gain the attention of the new family, "Harry your release date has also been moved forward due to your outstanding behaviour, if Severus is ok with it we will be allowed to release you in two weeks' time rather than a month. That is if you manage to stay out of trouble for the rest of your stay." Bill told them. The two nodded vigorously pleased with such good news before Severus' suggested in his best fatherly voice that he ought to rest up and get some sleep if he wanted to feel better soon. Harry obeyed and was asleep quickly once again falling asleep to the sensation of Severus stroking his forehead. Harry could definitely get used to this sort of treatment.


	14. Chapter 14

On his last Saturday off Severus called in the help of Andi and had bought brand new furniture to put into his brand new house, all of it would be delivered in the week in time for Harry's arrival the following Saturday. They had chosen a giant L shaped sofa for the lounge and a comfy king sized sleigh bed for the master bedroom. Harry's room was being decorated in blue tones and he had managed to get a football shirt signed by all Harrys football team framed and mounted on the wall opposite Harrys bed. The bed was double sized and had the softest pillows and bedding imaginable on it with plastic sheeting underneath and plenty of spare sheets and things in Harrys cupboard.

Harry's room has an ensuite and a walk in closet which they would have to take Harry shopping to fill but the most impressive purchase Severus had made according to Andi was in the lounge which Andi had filled with shelves and lights and candles making it feel more homely. They had purchased a massive telly with was mounted on the wall with an Xbox like Harry received from St Brutus' as a reward when he was especially good. Severus was aiming to carry out the same reward scheme at home hoping that the consistency of it would help Harry settle in.

They had hired helpers to help them decorate the place by Friday so it didn't look like such an empty shell, the team were working around the clock to finish and after finally installing the kitchen on Friday evening it was ready for Harry's arrival.

After a tearful goodbye to all the staff from Harry and a more stoic goodbye from Severus the pair embarked on their new journey home together in Severus' brand new black Renault Clio. Harry thought it was awesome because it had blacked out windows, the drive was only about ten minutes long and they arrived at a small housing estate, brand new houses which looked perfect to Harry. Severus parked up and after grabbing Harry's bag out of the car led the boy into his brand new home.

After reminding the boy to remove his shoes on the new carpet the boy took off to explore their three storey town house. All Severus could hear was banging of feet as the boy ran from room to room and occasional exclamations of, "this is so cool," he was a happy man indeed. Severus had left the third bedroom empty as a guest room they could develop together along with the second family room, Severus jogged up the stairs catching the boy heading towards his own bedroom for the first time.

"That rooms yours, I hope you like it but if you don't we have plenty of money left over to redecorate it." Severus told the boy this and then as the door opened he held his breath, Harry was silent.

"Well, what do you think?" Severus asked. Harry turned with tears running down his face. "We can redecorate it, we can do it tonight if really dislike it that much" Severus told him hurriedly seeing his tears.

"NO" Harry shouted "I love it, I wouldn't change a thing, it's the best room I've ever had and that football shirt is the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me" Harry choked out between tears. He collided with Severus' body in a strong hug which the two shared before the doorbell made them jump apart.

"I hope you don't mind too much but I thought I might introduce you to one of my friends" Severus told him smiling proudly. Harry nodded and walked to the door with Severus. When it swung open to reveal Andi standing there Harry hugged her before she could step through the front door, "I was right Sev wasn't I, you like her like her! Your dating aren't you?" He said smiling hoping they were and that his day was about to go from amazing to the best day ever. Andi nodded, "you don't mind do you Harry?" she asked cautiously hoping he said no. "Absolutely not, this is great" Harry shouted.

Andi had agreed new working hours with the centre working 9-5 5 days a week so she could be with Severus more. She remembered why she was there and turned to the two boys who were heading back up the stairs to ask "when are we going shopping?"

Harry turned to Severus "why are we going shopping?" he asked looking confused.

"Well you have football training on Wednesday and a football tournament next Saturday and since your previous foster carers have failed to produce your football stuff we need to buy you some more." Severus told him.

"Wow! You don't have to do that really I can borrow some of Lenny's old stuff like I do when I move from place to place." Harry explained

"I don't have to but I want to, so we are going into town, you're the star striker so you need the best boots money can afford" Severus told him before standing up and pulling Harry to his feet, "use the loo put yourself a jacket and a pair of shoes and meet me downstairs we have some serious shopping to do."

Severus raced down the stairs to share a kiss with Andi which lasted for several minutes before they heard Harrys footsteps coming down the stairs, Severus and Harry put their shoes on and left for the car. Harry jumped in the backseat while Andi sat upfront next to Severus who was driving.

The drive lasted roughly 30 minutes and consisted of small chattering about what shops they needed to visit and what Andi and Severus wanted to buy for Harry and the house. They had almost reached the car park and were stuck in a traffic jam when Harry spoke up. "Sev, how did you know about the tournament?"

"Well last time Lenny came by he told me that you needed permission for the tournament and because of your situation you didn't have it so I gave it. I figured it would be a good opportunity to watch you play and a chance to meet your friends." Severus told him with a shrug.

"Thanks" Harry whispered.

"No problem Harry" Severus told him with a smile.

Severus parked up "Let's go shopping" he said getting out of the car holding Andi's hand and ruffling Harry's hair playfully before locking the car and walking hand in hand with his girlfriend and chatting playfully with his new foster son who couldn't stop grinning.


	15. Chapter 15

Harry had been having a great time with Severus, it was almost summer holidays and he would be happy to have another break from school. It was Saturday though which meant it was tournament day, he was wearing his football kit and high tops with a hoody over the top of his shirt. Yesterday Severus had taken him for a hair cut and he now sported slightly less hair on the sides than on top and a bit of a fringe which made him look even cooler. Severus was today wearing some ¾ length khaki trousers and a black buttoned shirt which he wore with the top two buttons open and the cuffs rolled up to his elbows.

The drive was pleasant with the windows down, the sun shining and one of Harry's CD's playing in the stereo. When they arrived they hopped out of the car and after collecting their bags from the boot they strolled over towards Lenny and the rest of the team. The boys found a goal nearby and started kicking a ball around while Severus joined the other men in constructing a gazebo and putting everyone's bags underneath it.

"Harry's never had anyone come to watch him play so thanks for coming to watch him. Look Sev I'm really glad your looking after him but I gotta ask you to leave him be today, footballs what Harry loved best, let me get on with what I gotta do, I know how to handle him on the pitch, I know when he needs to come off and I know what needs to be said. If you don't like it don't watch." Lenny warned him after taking the man to one side.

"I trust you" was all Severus said before calling Harry over to remind him to put his sun lotion on.

The first match was a learning curve for Severus he watched with the other parents occasionally clapping or shouting his praise to his boy. Harry was talented, there was no doubt about it but he seemed to vary between being aggressively competitive to not caring if he ran to get the ball or not. Lenny seemed to not be bothered if he won the ball or not and rest of the team seemed used to his behaviour, Severus kept telling himself to trust Lenny and when the boy was pulled off at halftime for swearing when he missed a shot Harry was sulking and Sevrus himself thought it a little harsh but after a cuddle with Mandy and a drink he stood calmly watching the game with Severus. Lenny started him again in the second game and Severus soon picked up the rules and how Lenny coached his team.

"Just remember boys, there are no second chances here, you have 10 minutes. Five minutes each way in this match. You win you go through to the final, you lose we go home. This team is rough and they have a strong defense we know that already, We know that Wallingham like to play it rough but we will not stoop to their level. We will rise above it or I will take all of you off, you understand me!" Lenny shouted before their semi final.

"Yes coach" they all shouted.

"Harry come here" Severus called once they were finished. "Let me do your lace up" was all he said.

Harry offered his foot towards Severus as he sipped on his water bottle. His new boots seemed to be working and over 6 matches Harry had scored 9 goals.

"I'm really proud of you" Severus told him ruffling the boys hair. "Good luck" he said and after pressing a kiss to the top of the boys head he shooed him off towards the pitch.

The whistle blew and the game started, Harry was passed the ball from the kick off and he started to run, two players slid into him and Harry dodged the tackles but Severus soon became nervous at the brutality the opposition were already showing towards Harry.

"Almost Rhys, get him next time" was heard from the coach and Severus was hoping right then that the game would be over quickly. Within seconds of that thought Harry powered a shot into the bottom left hand corner of the net and the parents went mad. Harry shot a smile Severus' way before celebrating with his team mates. It was roughly a minute before half time when the opposition finally managed to take Harry down. The tackle stopped everyone and they all went silent. To Severus it was like the moment was happening in slow motion the boy slid into Harry and took the boys legs from under him, he heard the sound of the studs scraping Harrys new shin pad before Harry slammed into the ground with a scream before laying on the floor writhing with his hands wrapped around his lower left leg.

It took seconds for Mandy and Lenny to burst onto the pitch Mandy attended to Harry straight away whilst Lenny went via the referee. Severus was being held back by another parent who told him once Mandy had checked him out she'd let him know what was going on.

Mandy and Lenny helped Harry limp off the pitch and over to the gazebo where Harry was sat on a patio chair with his foot on top of a nearby ice box with a bag of frozen peas over his leg. "I think its just badly bruised Severus but I'm not going to let Harry play if we get through, he can barely walk, if it swells up anymore take him to A and E." Mandy told him before looking at Harry.

"I'm sorry sweetie but that legs not going to take another match, we have another tournament in a few weeks so we're not going to risk it getting worse. I'm very proud of how you handled yourself today. Those new boots work well though don't they!" Mandy joked and with a hair ruffle and a motherly arm around his shoulder she went back to Lennys side to watch the rest of the match.

"Do you want to stay and watch or go home?" Severus asked the injured boy.

"Can we stay?" Harry asked "I'd really like to see the rest of the team play, unless you have something you have to do" Harry answered unsurely.

"That's fine" Severus told him with a smile settling into the chair next to him and draping an arm across Harry's shoulders pulling him slightly closer as they watched the team win the semi-final and the final. Harry hobbled up to the award ceremony to receive his winners medal and top goal scorer trophy with a proud smile Severus watched the boy as he turned to show him his prizes.


	16. Chapter 16

School had just broken up and Severus was planning on a holiday for the three of them when he had some news from Draco who they had been meeting up with once a week since Harry had been released from St Brutus'.

They arranged to meet in a restaurant with a big field decide it so Harry could bring his beloved football and after eating Severus and Andi could talk with the Carters and the three boys could play outside, the meal was strained and both the Carters and Draco seemed pretty distracted, it was left up to Harry and Tommy to keep the banter going with the rest of the table which they did pretty well and after Severus read Harry the menu they ordered their food.

"Can we go play before lunch; the waiter said it was going to be a while." Harry asked hopefully.

"Go on then I will send Andi to get you when lunch arrives." Severus told him and waved the three boys off to run off some energy.

"Whats going on?" Severus asked when the boys were out or earshot.

"We had news on Draco's mother" Mrs Carter told him solemnly and Andi grabbed Severus' hand under the table.

"It appears as though she took her own life" Mr Carter told them. "Draco's solicitor has been ordered to send him to his godfathers and they sent a letter to him but he hasn't replied so it's all a bit up in the air at the moment, we are happy for him to stay but we thought this was only going to be temporary, as did Draco but now he has no family left and seems to think his Godfather won't want him, said something about having other commitments. What can be more important than Draco though?" Mr Carter asked.

The question hung in the air.

Outside the boys were having a similar conversation Tommy was happy entertaining himself on the climbing frame and Draco and Harry sat on the swings. "What's up?" Harry asked noticing Draco's glum mood.

"They found my mother, seems she offed herself and left instruction for me to be placed with my Godfather." Draco told him seemingly angry.

"That sounds good though, you'll have somewhere to live forever" Harry ventured.

"Yea but I don't think my Godfather will want to take me in" Draco grouched before jumping off the swing and grabbing Harrys ball.

"Let's play" Draco shouted trying to act normally.

The conversation was tense over lunch and even Harry and Tommy were quiet, they agreed to meet up next week at a country park and the two families went their separate ways.

"Dad can I ask you something?" Harry asked from the back seat immediately shocking both adults when Harry called him Dad.

"What is it Harry? I need to ask you something after but you can go first." Severus asked casually.

"Could Draco come to live with us if his godfather doesn't want him?" Harry asked.

"Onto my question then" Severus was immediately interrupted by Harry "not fair you didn't answer mine" he all but shouted. Severus continued "would you mind if Draco came to live with us?"

Andi decided to reveal what she knew, she was fuming that Severus hadn't told anyone when Draco was at St Brutus' and hadn't taken the boy in straight away she really was struggling to understand the man.

"It seems as though Sev is Draco's Godfather" she told Harry with attitude meant for Severus himself.

"That's so cool" Harry shouted excitedly "why didn't you say anything earlier! So does that mean he can live with us, he can stay in the guest bedroom, if we start decorating it today and go shopping for all of the stuff to go in it he could move in next Saturday." Harry chattered excitedly.

"Why doesn't he already live with us though, I mean like when he first left St Brutus' why didn't he go with you?" Harry asked.

Severus took a breath and steadied himself as he drove. "You were more important, you still are."

Harry and Andi immediately thought about the situation and could see Severus' point of view, Draco's mother was expected to come back yet Harry had no one.

"Thank you" Harry whispered.

"No problem Harry, you are very special to me, so is Andi and so is Draco, if social services agree which think they probably will, I would like to bring the three most important people in my life together but if either of you have any doubts I'll ask them to keep Draco with the Carters" Severus said.

"No doubts here!" Harry called from the back.

"Only doubt is if social services will allow us to have both of them, you know what Harry's folder says" Andi warned when Harry put his MP3 player and headphones on.

"Harrys folder says no one younger, Draco is almost a year older and the two are best friends." Severus said confidently. "Plus I know some people in high places" Severus said slyly.

After a few minutes pause Severus started smiling and laughing at the wheel. Harry even took his headphones off. "What's funny?" Harry asked thinking he'd been left out of a joke then looking at Andi who was just as confused.

"I'm a Dad" Severus grinned. "You called me Dad, I have a son!" Severus exclaimed and as Harry blushed at his slip he looked at Harry through the rear view mirror. "I don't think I've ever been this happy" Severus told him.

As they arrived home Harry toed off his shoes and ran up the stairs to get the best spot on the sofa and take control of the remote. Severus and Andi followed at a slower pace joining him on the sofa, with his arm over Andi's shoulder and his other arm around Harry's shoulder the family watched an afternoon film, Severus wondered how his life had suddenly turned out this well it seemed as though all of the heart ache he had struggled through all his life was suddenly worth it.


End file.
